August bank holiday engineering works
Families and friends looking to make the most of the long August Bank Holiday weekend are being invited to travel by train – with Britain’s railway open for business
Despite planned engineering works taking place in some areas – as Bank Holidays provide the best opportunity to carry out improvement works – alternative arrangements will be in place to make sure passengers can get to their destination, while the vast majority of services will be running as normal.
There is still some work taking place over the weekend that will affect some journeys from Saturday 29 to Monday 31 August 2026, so be in the know before you go. Visit National Rail or your train operator’s website for the latest travel information.
Among the few projects still taking place that may affect your journey are:
Sunday 30 August
- There will be no trains between Peterborough and London King’s Cross, to enable the installation of new ‘in-train’ signalling technology as part of the East Coast Digital Programme. Passengers can instead opt for a limited number of LNER services travelling via Bedford and ending at London St Pancras, or rail replacement buses
- There will be no trains between Stafford and Wolverhampton, while work goes on to improve overhead power supply to trains. Rail replacement buses will be available.
All weekend
- Work to repair Hawarden Swing Bridge means buses will replace trains between Wrexham and Bidston between Sunday 16 August, and Sunday 30 August, with normal service resuming on Monday 31 August.
- Work to improve drainage and other issues on the line between Wrexham and Shrewsbury means buses will replace trains on that route between Monday 17 August and Sunday 30 August, normal service resuming on 31 August.
- Due to ongoing Transpennine Route Upgrade work in the Leeds area, buses will replace trains between Leeds, York and Selby.
- There will be no trains between Dumfries and Barrhead, and between Kilmarnock and Aye, due to ongoing track improvement work, running from Saturday 29 August until 14 September.